The invention relates to computer systems and particularly to portable "notebook" computer form factors.
Users of personal computers have been liberated from the restrictions of desktop-only use with the introduction of portable "notebook" computers. The convenience and transportability of the notebook computer has produced a large and lucrative market for manufacturers of such machines. Portability is the key to the successful transport and use of a notebook computer in many different environments; therefore, notebook computer form factors are an exceedingly important consideration for the computer manufacturer seeking market share in this arena. The goal is to provide as thin and light-weight a machine as possible, while maintaining ease of usability of the machine.
In the past, notebook computer form factors have been limited by the sizes and placement of the necessary components within the computer. The computer designer must judiciously arrange the CPU motherboard, keyboard and keyboard baseplate, hard disk drive, options such as PCMCIA slots, and the battery to provide the most compact form factor possible. To date, at least some of these components are placed beneath the keyboard baseplate, thereby sacrificing thinness in order to provide a convenient notebook computer length and width. To date, the thinnest notebook computer available is about one and one-half inches thick. It is desirable to provide an even thinner notebook computer form factor for the consumer market.